Jay Z

Jay-Z and Kanye West Watch the Throne Roc Nation Rating: 3 stars out of 4 Understanding royalty is always trickier than it seems. From a distance, we watch in awe of the stately presence and lavish lifestyle. But get close enough and we see the scars, the chinks in the armor, the dried tears of what it took to become king. Watch the Throne , the hotly anticipated collaborative album from Kanye West and Jay-Z that was released on iTunes at 12:01 a.m. Monday, deals with this dichotomy as navigated by two rap stars at once shockingly self-aware and blinded by their riches.

The On the Run tour, Jay Z and Beyonce's first co-headlining tour together, delivered the type of expensive, finely calibrated spectacle one would expect from a Forbes power couple with a corporate sponsorship on Monday night at M&T Bank Stadium. If the show seemed like a top-shelf Hollywood production, it is because it was. Throughout the roughly two-and-a-half hour set, the sold-out crowd received the soundtrack it expected, but also a...

Kings of Leon have cancelled all dates of their 2011 tour because the lead singer, Caleb Followill, is suffering from "vocal issues and exhaustion. " The announcement was made Monday by tour promoter Live Nation. The band had been scheduled to perform at Jiffy Lube Live August 9 as part of the 30-city tour. Tickets bought online or by phone will be refunded automatically; others can be refunded whereever purchased. Jiffy Lube Live started offering refunds today. The US tour will not be rescheduled because of the band's international tour schedule, the statement said.

What if he had smacked her one? She's going after him with fists and feet. What if he had defended himself in kind? Or what if he had been the one who attacked her without physical provocation? Would it still be funny? As we all know from a leaked elevator surveillance video that has been replayed countless times on television and online, that's not how it happened. Instead, rapper and businessman Jay Z deflected the blows and at one point caught a kicking foot in midair, but otherwise made no aggressive moves as his sister-in-law, singer Solange Knowles, whaled on him. Beyonce -- his wife, her sister -- watched without interfering, and an overmatched bodyguard tried to keep the peace.

Kanye West and Jay-Z, whose new collaborative album "Watch the Throne" will be released next month, will also tour together, it was announced Monday by concert promoter Live Nation. The two rappers will go on a 24-city tour, also called "Watch the Throne," that will kick off in Detroit September 22. The tour includes stops in Washington - on Sept. 29 at the Verizon Center - and Baltimore - on Nov. 1 at 1st Mariner Arena . Tickets go on sale August 8, the same day the album is released exclusively on iTunes.

Tuesday night's "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" was what we've come to expect from the annual safe-for-CBS peep show: beautiful women, elaborate lingerie (Miranda Kerr wore a $2.5M bra), oogling celebrities and some live music in an attempt to distract us from wondering how the models got in that kind of shape. Last year's "Fashion Show" focused on Top 40 (Katy Perry and Akon), while this year's event showcased hip-hop (Maroon 5 and its "Moves Like Jagger" being the exception)

On "Part II (On the Run)" from 2013's "Magna Carta Holy Grail," Jay Z raps, "If it's me and you against the world, then so be it. " This summer, the 44-year-old mogul and rapper will put his words to the test when he and pop-superstar wife Beyonce embark on their On the Run Tour. It stops at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on July 7. While tickets go on sale to the public on Friday through Live Nation, members of Beyonce's fan club will have access to presale tickets at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.

Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake will bring their "Legends of the Summer" stadium tour to M&T Bank Stadium on Aug. 8, Live Nation announced this morning. Tickets go on sale Feb. 28, but fans can RSVP for early access to presale tickets on this Facebook page . The tour kicks off at Toronto's Rogers Centre on July 17, and will cover 12 dates total. The tour ends in Miami on Aug. 16. Concerts at the Ravens' stadium are typically reserved for pop music's most significant acts.

The On the Run tour, Jay Z and Beyonce's first co-headlining tour together, delivered the type of expensive, finely calibrated spectacle one would expect from a Forbes power couple with a corporate sponsorship on Monday night at M&T Bank Stadium. If the show seemed like a top-shelf Hollywood production, it is because it was. Throughout the roughly two-and-a-half hour set, the sold-out crowd received the soundtrack it expected, but also a...

After finishing his Legends of the Summer set with Justin Timberlake, Jay Z left M&T Bank Stadium in a black Cadillac Escalade and headed to Mirage Nightclub for the concert's official after-party, according to the building owner Anthony Ilkhon. The "Picasso Baby" rapper entered with a "pretty huge" entourage and headed straight to the bar, Ilkhon said, where he proceeded to order 10 bottles of Armand de Brignac champagne (also known as Ace of Spades) and 10 bottles of D'Usse cognac (who sponsored the after-party)

On "Part II (On the Run)" from 2013's "Magna Carta Holy Grail," Jay Z raps, "If it's me and you against the world, then so be it. " This summer, the 44-year-old mogul and rapper will put his words to the test when he and pop-superstar wife Beyonce embark on their On the Run Tour. It stops at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium on July 7. While tickets go on sale to the public on Friday through Live Nation, members of Beyonce's fan club will have access to presale tickets at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.

After finishing his Legends of the Summer set with Justin Timberlake, Jay Z left M&T Bank Stadium in a black Cadillac Escalade and headed to Mirage Nightclub for the concert's official after-party, according to the building owner Anthony Ilkhon. The "Picasso Baby" rapper entered with a "pretty huge" entourage and headed straight to the bar, Ilkhon said, where he proceeded to order 10 bottles of Armand de Brignac champagne (also known as Ace of Spades) and 10 bottles of D'Usse cognac (who sponsored the after-party)

I advocate for a boycott of rapper and record producer Jay-Z and his wife, Beyonce, for their irresponsible impact on modern culture. Jay-Z's music is violent, racist and reinforces an attitude of aggression and victimization to the black community. His ill-considered reactions to the George Zimmerman verdict are obvious evidence that he does not deserve his public position of influence. In my opinion both he and his wife practice a subtle form of racism - happy to take the money of white people but advocating in their music and comments that white people are inherently racist and dangerous to the black community.

Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake will bring their "Legends of the Summer" stadium tour to M&T Bank Stadium on Aug. 8, Live Nation announced this morning. Tickets go on sale Feb. 28, but fans can RSVP for early access to presale tickets on this Facebook page . The tour kicks off at Toronto's Rogers Centre on July 17, and will cover 12 dates total. The tour ends in Miami on Aug. 16. Concerts at the Ravens' stadium are typically reserved for pop music's most significant acts.

He clutched the Lombardi Trophy again about 10 hours after he held it for the first time. He had watched his quarterback Joe Flacco receive a new car as the Super Bowl XLVII Most Valuable Player and he had done one more interview as a newly minted world champion. But before Ravens coach John Harbaugh left New Orleans on Monday afternoon, he stopped in front of a group of reporters, grabbed his arm and then aggressively pulled at his cheeks. "Is this real?" Harbaugh asked.

Tuesday night's "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" was what we've come to expect from the annual safe-for-CBS peep show: beautiful women, elaborate lingerie (Miranda Kerr wore a $2.5M bra), oogling celebrities and some live music in an attempt to distract us from wondering how the models got in that kind of shape. Last year's "Fashion Show" focused on Top 40 (Katy Perry and Akon), while this year's event showcased hip-hop (Maroon 5 and its "Moves Like Jagger" being the exception)

Hip-hop veterans Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige have been going nonstop. Being president of Roc-A-Fella Records and being in "retirement" didn't stop Jay-Z from releasing his narrative album American Gangster, and Blige's latest release marks her ninth album. The powerful pair have matched up on the Heart of the City tour, making an appearance at 1st Mariner Arena at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $49.75-$124.75. 1st Mariner Arena is at 201 W. Baltimore St. Call 410-547-7328 or go to ticketmaster.

The most famous student of Ball So Hard University strutted in front of a throng of reporters Wednesday. And naturally, he wore a black Ball So Hard University T-shirt as he explained where his school spirit came from. "A lot of guys on this team attended Ball So Hard University, including myself," Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "The dean of students and president of the school is actually Shawn Carter," better known as Jay-Z. Suggs created an internet sensation before Sunday night's 23-20 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers when he said his alma mater was “Ball So Hard University” as the Ravens defense was introduced in a NBC graphic.

The best moment of Tuesday night's 'Watch the Throne' tour stop at 1st Mariner Arena - and there were plenty of candidates - came 17 songs in, when Jay-Z and Kanye West ditched the flashy, multi-piece set and sat down, side by side, like old friends on a stoop. As an Auto-Tuned Nina Simone sample of "Feeling Good" poured through the speakers, Jay-Z wiped his brow after removing his snakeskin Yankee snapback. Kanye announced that this song, "New Day," was his favorite from "Watch the Throne" and its opening verse was his "favorite ever.